Never Forget
by all4jesus84
Summary: This is part of a series I am doing where the angels are joined by a teenage angel named Tonya. There is another story based on this called "Tempted." This story is about a pair of siblings who have just lost their parents. COMPLETE
1. Assignments

At the Hope Valley Youth Home in Manhattan, 14-year-old Tiana Reed stared deep into the eyes of her parents, through an old photograph that she had framed when they died the previous year. The young girl shed a tear as she held the picture tightly and remembered all the wonderful times she had shared with her mom and dad. Visits to the zoo when she was just a little girl, Christmases spent together, cozy by the fire, and going out to a nice restaurant for lunch after church every Sunday. She had loved her parents more than anything in the world and was devastated when they were killed by a drunk driver a year ago. She could still remember the day the social worker came to her school to break the news. It still felt like yesterday. She could still feel the social worker's arms around her. She could still hear the laughter of students outside of the office as she faced the worst news in the world. It was such a shock. Her parents were dead. Gone. Tiana was left orphaned with her 16-year-old brother Trevor by her side. Unfortunately, the siblings had no other living relatives, so they were taken by the state and placed in the care of the Hope Valley Youth Home. It had been a full year since, and Tiana could still remember her mother's voice and her father's smile. Trevor, however, was a different story.

As Tiana continued to stare into the photograph, four angels watched from the dormitory doorway, unseen by anyone. Tiana didn't see them there as they observed from afar. Then, without knocking, Trevor Reed burst through the dormitory door, rushing past the angels, and stopped at the foot of Tiana's bed, where the young girl stared up, clutching the picture frame, looking at her big brother with frightened blue eyes.

"Tiana, it's breakfast. What are you...what's that?" Trevor asked as he began to get angry. His expression totally changed. His whole face distorted into an angry look, wide eyes staring hard at his little sister. Tiana swallowed hard, sensing the anger in her brother's voice.

"Nothing. It's not mine." Tiana stuttered as she held the frame close. She didn't want him to see it, but Trevor thrust his hand downward and grabbed the picture frame, pulling it roughly away from his sister. Tiana shifted her eyes, to avoid seeing how Trevor would react. She knew how angry he would be, and she hated watching his anger come out.

Trevor narrowed his eyes at the picture and as he scrunched up his face, he hurled the frame at the wall, causing it to shatter into hundreds of pieces on the floor! Tiana screamed out as Trevor turned back to face his sister, who leaned back nervously.

"Why are you doing this? How many times do I have to tell you? Forget them! They're gone Tiana! Accept it! Forget them! They've forgotten us! Grow up Tia! Let it go. It's been a year. A year! So stop it!" Trevor was screaming at the top of his lungs, using every breath he had in him. Tiana was crying as she listened to her brother's cold and hurtful words. She couldn't find the words to respond. She didn't know what to say, but as Trevor was yelling, Ms. Ovending, the headmistress, heard him screaming and let herself into the girls' dormitory.

"Trevor Reed! Why am I not surprised?" Ms. Ovending said strictly as she approached the two siblings, obviously frustrated and annoyed. She saw the broken glass on the floor and as she stared into Trevor's angry eyes, she knew right away that he was the culprit.

"Trevor, let's take a trip down to the office. I think we need to have yet another chat." Ms. Ovending announced, her hands on her hips.

"I'm not in the mood!" Trevor yelled out, as he stared t the ceiling.

"Now!" Ms. Ovending pointed to the door, unafraid of Trevor's anger. Trevor stared coldly at the headmistress as she remained serious. Trevor shook his head and looked down at Tiana, who was still crying.

"Stop crying! We'll talk more later!" With that, Trevor stormed out of the girls' dormitory, followed by Ms. Ovending.

The angels, who were still watching, watched as Ms. Ovending and Trevor left the dormitory.

"My, that's an awful lot of anger that young boy has inside." The angel, Monica said to the other three angels, Tess, Andrew and Tonya.

Monica was a case worker angel, who was always given assignments by God to fulfill on earth. She was nearly middle age, but was beautiful, not looking a day over 30, had she been human. With long flowing auburn hair and fair skin, she truly was a beautiful creature created by God.

Tonya was the youngest angel and the smallest. She was also a case worker, given assignments for earth. Had she been human, she would have been in her mid-teens. Medium length chocolate brown hair surrounded her fair skin. She loved being an angel, and being able to serve God in a special way.

Tess was an older angel with dark skin and a wonderful singing voice. She was Monica's and Tonya's supervisor, always making sure they stuck to their assignments and not make a mess of things, as angels sometimes do.

Andrew was the Angel of Death, with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Mostly, he was brought into earthly assignments to bring humans Home after their deaths, but sometimes, he was there for extra help. He didn't always know when God would take another person to Heaven, so Andrew just had to wait for God to tell him.

The four angels watched as Tiana bent down next to the broken glass, crying.

"Trevor certainly does have a lot of anger inside, and it is affecting everyone. Especially his little sister." Tess explained softly as Tiana carefully placed the broken glass in the wastebasket. She took the photo that was no longer protected by the frame and gently placed the picture under her pillow.

"She looks like she really misses her mom and dad." Tonya noticed, as her young heart broke for this girl.

"She does, angel baby, but she keeps their memory close to her heart. Trevor, on the other hand, has chosen to forget his parents, and now he's trying to make his sister do the same." Tess replied.

"Children should never forget their parents after they die. Especially when they were as wonderful as these children's parents were." Monica pointed out.

"Well, that's why we're here Miss Wings. We've got to get these kids to remember their mom and dad. You will be in charge of Trevor, Monica. You have got to get that little boy to let that anger go." Tess explained seriously. Monica puckered her brow.

"It doesn't look like it will be an easy task, Tess." Monica said with her Irish accent.

"Who said being an angel was easy work?" Andrew asked. Monica shrugged with a small smile.

"What about me?" Tonya asked as she turned to look at Tess, eager to get started. Tess smiled.

"Oh baby, you have got to befriend that little Tiana and help her. She is starting to believe her brother is right. Well angel baby, you can't let that happen." She replied as she smiled down at the eager angel.

"So, how do I befriend her? Are you going to make me a volunteer at the Home here?" Tonya asked, wondering what her human form would be for this assignment. Tess raised her eyebrows.

"A volunteer? No baby. These kids don't like to befriend volunteers. Volunteers can't understand the hurt they've encountered." She explained. Tonya puckered her brow, confused.

"Well then, how do I fit in?" She asked, worried.

"You, my dear, are the newest orphan here at Hope Valley." Tess laughed as Tonya's eyes widened, and she turned to face the girls' dormitory. She swallowed hard, as Tess placed her hands on the little angel's shoulders.

"An orphan?" Tonya knew at that moment that this was not going to be an easy assignment.


	2. Trevor and Tiana

It had been an hour since the angels first observed the Reed siblings and Tonya was now in the front seat of Allison Cooper's station wagon. Allison Cooper was a social worker and she was driving Tonya to Hope Valley Youth Home. Everything had been arranged half an hour earlier. Allison was under the impression that Tonya was getting transferred from Sinclair Youth Home and so she arrived to find Tonya waiting on the front porch of Sinclair, carrying a red knapsack. Allison had no clue that Tonya was an angel, on her way to an assignment, but she could see the fear behind Tonya's eyes, which was somewhat obvious. Allison smiled at her as she turned off the highway.

"You look a little nervous." She pointed out. Tonya turned to face Allison, and she returned her smile.

"Sort of. I guess this orphan stuff is new to me." Tonya replied, being completely honest. The truth was that she was nervous. Her past assignments had always been difficult, but she never had to understand what a teenager felt like to lose parents. Tonya was scared that she wouldn't know what to say to Tiana when the time came to reveal herself as an angel. Tess had always told Tonya that God would give her the words, and that they would be the right words because they came straight from the mouth of God, but as Tonya was on her way to meet her new assignment, she could feel what humans called "butterflies in the stomach."

Allison pulled her car into the circular driveway at Hope Valley.

"You ready?" Allison asked as she smiled at Tonya. Tonya smiled back.

"Yeah, let's do it." She replied, as she opened the car door and hung her knapsack over her shoulder. Allison led the way up to the front door of the youth home, with Tonya right beside her. _Father, give me strength. I trust in You to make this work._ Tonya prayed as Allison opened the heavy front door. Ms. Ovending had been waiting for them, as she approached the two. Ms. Ovending smiled politely at Tonya.

"Hi honey, you must be Tonya." She said as she extended her hand. Tonya smiled and shook it, being careful not to act too eager or too happy. After all, she was an orphan, and she had to remain dedicated that role to fulfill this assignment.

"Yes, I'm Tonya." She then forced herself to look away from Ms. Ovending, as if to take in the new surroundings. Ms. Ovending shifted her eyes to Allison, who was reaching into her briefcase.

"Well Ms. Cooper, thank you for driving Tonya down here. I appreciate it." Ms. Ovending said gratefully.

"Anything I can do to lend a hand." Allison pulled out a large folder from her bag. "Here's her file from Sinclair." Allison handed the envelope to Ms. Ovending, causing Tonya to keep herself from smiling. _Tess thought of everything._ She thought to herself as Ms. Ovending thanked Allison once again. With everything settled, Allison said goodbye and took off, leaving Tonya with the excited headmistress.

"Well Tonya, we're happy to have you. Let me show you to your room." Ms. Ovending smiled and led the way, as Tonya followed her through the long corridors and up the long staircases. Tonya was feeling less and less nervous as she was getting closer and closer to Tiana. She was beginning to get excited to meet her.

"Here we are." Ms. Ovending announced as she opened the door to the girls' dormitory. The same one Tonya had stood in less than an hour ago. Tonya saw a bunch of girls chatting, doing their hair, getting binders and pencil cases together, but as soon as they saw Tonya, they all stopped, as if waiting. They stared at Tonya with disgust and hate.

"Girls, this is Tonya. She's new here and I expect you all to be nice to her." Ms. Ovending announced, as she led Tonya through the dormitory. The girls all stared coldly at Tonya, but Tonya only saw Tiana in the corner, sitting on her bed.

"Tonya, this is your bed, right next to Tiana. Classes start in about 15 minutes, so just follow the crowd and you'll be fine." With those words, and a brief smile, Ms. Ovending left the room. Tonya sat on her bed, and faced Tiana, who was brushing her brown hair. She was so beautiful.

"Hi, my name is Tonya." Tonya said, trying to act shy. She didn't want to frighten her. Her job was to befriend Tiana, not scare her away, but Tonya was relieved when Tiana turned to Tonya and smiled.

"I'm Tiana. So, you're new huh?" Tiana asked. Tonya nodded.

"Yeah, I transferred from Sinclair." She replied. Tiana nodded.

"How long were you there for?" She asked, trying to make conversation. Tonya shrugged.

"Not very long. I usually go from place to place." She said, thinking of all the different assignments she's had.

"I've been here for a year. Me and my brother. My parents passed away last year." Tonya could see Tiana fighting the tears away. She wanted so much to just hold the girl in her arms, but she couldn't. She was one of them now. She couldn't push.

"I'm sorry Tiana." She said simply.

"Why? You lost your parnets too. We all did." Tiana replied, with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Yes, but..."

"Oh man, we should get to class. You can come with me. I'll show you the way." Tiana changed the subject as quickly as she had started it, as she got up to lead the way out. Tonya wanted to push further, but she knew she just had to trust, and let Tiana open up in her own time. Besides, they had just met.

Tonya got up and followed Tiana out to the hallway, where some older girls were talking. They turned and stared coldly at Tonya. Tonya smiled.

"Hello, my name is Tonya." She said in a friendly manner, trying to be polite.

"We know who you are." The tall redhead, Sandra retorted. Tonya's smile disappeared as Sandra turned to Tiana. "I can't believe you, Tiana. Hanging out with new trash like this. You better watch out or your reputation will fall apart."

"Get over yourself Sandra." Tiana said quietly, as she looked at Tonya. "Come on, let's go." She led the way and Tonya followed, hearing Sandra and her friends making cruel remarks behind her back. Tonya fought back tears that were stinging her eyes. She had never been teased before, or disliked. It hurt her, and she didn't know what to do with those feelings. She tried hard to forget them. She had other things to worry about.

Tiana sat at her desk and pointed to the desk beside her.

"This one's empty, you can sit next to me." She smiled, as Tonya thanked her and sat down. She had only known Tiana for nearly half an hour and she had already made an observation. Tiana was very friendly and polite, but Tonya knew there was a deep pain behind it all. Her smile showed it all. So faint, so small. So full of pain. It was so hard for Tonya to just sit back, but she had to be patient. So Tonya prayed quickly that God would bless Tiana Reed abundantly.

As the rest of the kids made their way into the large classroom, Ms. Ovending stood at the front of the class, waiting for the boys and girls to be quiet. Once they had settled down, Ms. Ovending began talking.

"Good morning, boys and girls. I hope you all had a great weekend, but now it's Monday, so back to the books." She heard the usual groans and mumbles, but she carried on. "As you may remember, your last tutor has left Hope Valley. She found your antics a little too much to handle. Hopefully, you'll treat your new tutor with a little more respect." Ms. Ovending said sternly, catching Trevor laughing in the corner of her eye.

"Zip it Trevor!" She snapped, as Trevor rolled his eyes. Ms. Ovending pretended she didn't see him. She already spoke to him once today.

"Please join me in welcoming our new tutor to Hope Valley. Monica." The class didn't follow Ms. Ovending's applause as they watched Monica walk into the classroom with a bright smile on her face. The class eyed her, as if plotting how they could get rid of this tutor. Tonya smiled back, glad that she would be seeing Monica a lot during this assignment. Tonya just had a feeling she would be needing a lot of guidance throughout this assignment. Now that Tonya wasn't the only angel in Hope Valley, she didn't feel so alone.

"Hello. I'm glad to be here and I hope that we can all get along." Monica said eagerly as she stared into the blank expressions of these teenagers. So much anger, pain and fear laid behind their young expressions. Monica thought that they could all use an angel, but Tess had told her earlier that each one of these kids would have an angel when it was their time to need one, but right now, only two kids were ready for the angels.

"Well, we're glad you're here too, Monica." Ms. Ovending said, as she faced the class. "Well, most of you already know, but we also have a new girl today. Her name is Tonya and that's her, sitting next to Tiana." The class snickered and whispers filled the room.

"Hey! What have I told you about teasing? I expect you all to accept Tonya and make her feel right at home. And if I hear otherwise, you'll be spending your lunch hours with me in my office!" Ms. Ovending stared hard at the class, until they all quieted down.

"Alright, they're all yours Monica. Good luck." With that, Ms. Ovending left the room. Monica faced the class and smiled brightly.

"Alright then, let's get started, shall we?" She asked the uneager students as she turned to write on the board. Little did she know of what was going on behind her. Trevor pulled his eraser out of his binder and flung it across the room, hitting Tonya right on the cheek!

"Ouch!" Tonya cried out, as the pain shocked her. She still wasn't used to the physical pain that her human form often felt. Monica turned from the board quickly to see Tonya holding her cheek, and Trevor holding his laughter inside.

"Excuse me young man. What's your name?" Monica asked politely, but sternly.

"Trevor." Trevor replied casually, with a shrug, not caring.

"Ah, well, would you mind telling me what's so funny?" Monica asked. Trevor raised his eyebrows.

"You want to know what's funny? It's that girl, Tonya! She's so ugly, I can't stand to even look at her. It's hilarious." Trevor replied, as he stared deviously at Tonya, laughing. Tonya's mouth dropped open as she stared back. There were so many things she was tempted to yell back, but she kept herself quiet.

"Trevor! That's an awful thing to say, now apologize this instant!" Monica commanded, hurt that Tonya had to hear that. Trevor snickered.

"Apologize to her? Forget it. She probably wouldn't even understand, because she's as dumb as she is ugly." Trevor retorted, not even caring that he was digging himself deeper into trouble. Or that he was hurting Tonya's feelings.

"Trevor, I think that maybe you need to go talk to Ms. Ovending right now!" Monica was stern, but Trevor only laughed.

"Why? So I can tell her what a stupid choice it was to let trash like Tonya come into this place?" Trevor asked, but before Monica could say another word, Josh Everett spoke up from the back off the classroom.

"Shutup Trevor. Man, do you ever just stop talking?" He yelled, obviously fed up with Trevor's attitude. Monica watched as she could literally see the anger rising quickly inside of Trevor. His face turned red and his eyes widened. He stood up quickly and ran to Josh, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him to his feet roughly. The girls screamed out and the guys began to holler, "Fight, fight, fight!"

"Don't ever talk to me like that again!" Trevor screamed out, and Josh swung his fist up and punched Trevor in the face, sending him flying! Monica was already pushing through the group of boys who had surrounded Trevor and Josh and she grabbed Trevor just as he was about to swing back. His teeth were clenched in anger.

"Trevor! Calm down!" Monica yelled out as he struggled from her arms, lunging at Josh. He punched him square in the nose, causing Josh's nose to bleed!

"Boys! Stop this at once!" Monica yelled as the boys only stared at each other coldly.

"You're going down." Trevor muttered under his breath.

"You're all talk." Josh replied.

"Alright you two, I'm bringing you to the nurse's office and after you get yourselves fixed up, you're both going straight to Ms. Ovending!" Monica led the two angry boys out of the classroom, telling the class she would return shortly. Once she was gone, the kids went into a loud chaos in reliving what had just happened. Tiana gripped her hair in her hands and sighed.

"I'm sorry Tonya." She said quietly. Tonya blinked to hide her own tears as she faced Tiana.

"What do you mean? Why are you sorry?" She asked. She knew the answer, but she couldn't reveal that she knew Trevor was her brother. Tiana had not yet told her so.

"That was my brother, Trevor. I'm sorry he said those mean things to you. You aren't any of the things he said. He's just like that with everybody. Even me sometimes." Tiana confessed, obviously frustrated, and hurt.

"Why is he like that?" Tonya asked, trying so desperately to be a good friend, and a good angel but Tiana only shrugged.

"I don't know. He's been that way since mom and dad died." She replied, as her voice softened. Tonya could tell that she was remembering.

"That's so sad." Tonya remarked, but Tiana only shrugged, brushing it away.

"As Trev would say, life goes on. Get over it. So anyways, I'm sorry for what he did." She stared at her desk. She obviously didn't want to talk about it anymore, but Tonya did. _Don't push._ Tonya thought to herself as Monica re-entered the room.

"Okay, now quiet down and let's move on." She said as she turned to face the board. Monica was feeling frustrated as well. Her first interaction with her assignment had gone horribly. Trevor was so hard to reach. Monica kept her worries about how she would complete her assignment to herself as she went back to teaching the class, who remained silent.

Trevor sat outside the nurse's office, waiting for his turn. Josh was in with the nurse right now, getting his nose cleaned up. Trevor clenched his fist tightly and pursed his lips. He was furious! He hated when people told him what to do. Especially kids his own age. To Trevor, nobody had that authority over his life and he hated it when they tried to. He just couldn't stand it. _Stupid kid. Who does he think he is?_ Trevor sighed heavily and leaned back against the chair. He heard the door open and he looked up to see Josh leaving the nurse's office. He glared down at Trevor, who returned his cold stare. Josh ran off, shaking his head. Trevor wanted so badly to get up and beat Josh up, but he didn't. _I'll get him later._ He heard the nurse call out his name from inside her office. Trevor rolled his eyes and got up. He walked into the nurse's office to find an unfamiliar woman smiling. Trevor narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked in a hard voice.

"Oh well hi baby. I'm the new nurse. My name is Tess. Now, Monica tells me that you got into a fight in class." Tess replied as she stared at the black eye on Trevor's face. Trevor rolled his eyes.

"What is with all these new people? Yeah, I got into a fight. So what?" He said coldly as Tess gave him an ice pack.

"Keep this on your eye baby. It will help the swelling go down." She sat back down and watched him as he gently placed the ice pack on his eye.

"Well?" Tess raised her eyebrows. Trevor narrowed his eyes.

"What?" He asked in a snobby manner.

"Why did you get into that fight? I'm sure Ms. Ovending told you kids not to get into fights. So, what happened?" Tess asked again. Trevor sighed and rolled those blue eyes once again.

"Man, you sound just like Ovending. I hate it here! I didn't do anything wrong! I wish everyone would just leave me alone!" Trevor threw the ice pack down on the ground and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tess shook her head as she stared at the closed door.

"Oh Father. That little boy has got a lot of anger inside of him. We know You know what You're doing, but Lord, please do it soon." She prayed silently, as she thought about the Reeds sadly.


	3. Forgetting

Classes had ended and Tiana had gone up to the girls' dormitory, telling Tonya she'd meet her at dinner. Tonya wasn't thrilled that her assignment had left her alone, but she knew better than to think that they'd be spending every moment together.

Tiana bent down next to her bed and reached underneath, pulling out a small red shoebox. She blew away the thin layer of dust that rested on top of the box. She plopped down cross-legged on her bed and with a small sigh, removed the lid. Her eyes remained fixed on the contents for a moment. No matter how many times she had opened the box since her parents died, she was always overwhelmed by feelings of loss, for the box held everything she had left of her mom and dad. When they had died, social services had brought her and Trevor back to their house to pack their bags. Everything left inside the house would be donated to charity. So as the social worker yelled for her to hurry up, Tiana ran through her house, grabbing anything and everything she could to remind her of her parents. Hairbrushes, playing cards, jewelry, eye glasses. Anything she could find.

Tiana managed a weak smile as she peered inside. She pulled out a string of pearls and held them close. She could still remember watching her mother standing in front of her bedroom mirror, clasping the pearl necklace around her neck. The reflection of the lights above made the necklace appear much brighter. Tiana remembered how she always envied her mother's pearl necklace and she begged and begged to let her wear them, but her mother always said, "These will be yours one day, and then you can wear them, but right now, they're mommy's." Tiana shed a tear as she remembered. No, she would never wear them. As much as she had always wanted to, they belonged to her mommy, and they always would. Even in death.

As Tiana continued through the memories, the dormitory door opened and Tiana heard heavy footsteps. She didn't look up, because she assumed it would just be one of the girls, but as the footsteps grew closer, Tiana looked up to see her brother, staring down at her.

"Trevor!" She said, almost fearfully, but she quickly changed the subject, as she avoided eye contact. But she noticed the shiner around his eye. "Man, Josh really nailed you." Tiana stared at his black eye, but he ignored her.

"What are you doing?" He asked loudly, causing Tiana to flinch.

"Trev, I'm just..."

"What do I keep telling you? They are dead! We are never going to see them again! Tia, you're such a baby, just grow up and stop torturing yourself! Why remember them? They've forgotten us!" Trevor was screaming again and Tiana fought very hard to hide her tears from her angry brother.

Meanwhile, Tonya was walking down the hallway toward the dormitory. She had just finished taking a walk through the gardens, needing to get a bit of fresh air. She also wanted to avoid the other kids. The teasing was too much to handle. Even for an angel. _Maybe Tiana wants to hang out a bit before dinner._ As she turned down the hall toward the girls' dormitory, she saw Andrew, mopping the floor. He whistled as he mopped and Tonya tried to hold in her laughter, but it escaped. Andrew turned to see Tonya cup her hand over her mouth quickly.

"What?" He asked, catching a hint of a smile. Tonya shook her head.

"Nothing." She muttered as she shifted her gaze, still smiling. Andrew had to grin.

"Come on. It's me. What's so funny?" He asked again. Tonya started laughing again, as she pointed to Andrew's mop.

"It's just a funny sight, that's all. Here's the Angel of Death, and he's mopping a floor." She laughed again as Andrew raised an eyebrow.

"Watch it, little angel." He said, as Tonya stopped. Andrew put his mop in the bucket.

"So, how's your assignment coming?" He asked, changing the subject. Tonya shrugged.

"Well, it's not even been a full day yet. She really hasn't said a word." She replied, sounding a little disappointed.

"God's timing is always perfect kiddo. You'll see." Andrew said.

"I know. Well, it's just a good thing Trevor isn't my assignment. He makes me so mad! You should have heard the awful things he said about me in class today. He hates me. Then again, they all do."

"Even Tiana?"

"No." Tonya smiled. "Tiana's different. She's special."

"They're all special in God's eyes. You just remember that, even when they're mean to you."

"I know they are, but it's hard to remember that when they treat you like dirt, even though you've done nothing wrong. I've never been teased before, Andrew. It...kinda hurts." Tonya admitted. Andrew smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. God will use you. Remember, rejoice in your sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint." Andrew said, quoting Scripture. Tonya smiled.

"I know. Thanks Andrew. You always know how to cheer me up." She said as Andrew nodded modestly. "Well, I guess I'd better go see how Tiana is doing." She said bye to the Angel of Death and headed to the girls' dorm. She entered the room, hearing the awful words coming from Trevor, who was still yelling down at Tiana. Tonya sighed to herself as she listened.

"Why do you keep remembering them? Why look through a dinky shoebox? They're gone! Grow up!" He screamed. Tonya could almost feel the pain that Tiana must have been feeling at that very moment. Tiana had no one left in the word, except for her brother, and he treated her so badly. She must have felt so alone. So isolated. _Maybe that's why she holds so closely to her parent's memory. She feels that's all that's left. And Trevor is trying to take that away from her too._ Tonya thought as Trevor looked up and saw Tonya standing in the doorway. She looked away as he rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room, pushing Tonya out of his way. Tonya ignored Trevor but stared carefully at Tiana, who hadn't even looked up. Tiana swallowed hard, as if to avoid crying again. She didn't like to cry in front of people. She sniffled and carefully placed the lid back on her box. Tonya sat next to Tiana on her bed.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tonya asked softly as Tiana closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her soft cheek, but she quickly brushed it away.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tiana said quickly. Tonya knew she wasn't supposed to push, but she wasn't about to give up on this young girl. Not when she was as upset as she was.

"I heard your brother yelling at you." She said quietly, trying to sound as concerned as she felt. Tiana shook her head.

"He's always yelling at me. He hasn't said anything nice to me since they died." She said, never once looking up at her new friend. Tonya listened, her eyes never leaving Tiana. There was silence. Neither girl spoke. Tonya didn't want to push any further, but she felt as though was finally beginning to open up a little and she didn't want to lose what had already been started. Tonya looked at the box that Tiana was still clutching.

"What's in the box?" She asked, as Tiana smiled, ever so slightly.

"Memories. All I have left of my parents." She replied sadly.

"It must be nice to remember your parents through things they left behind." Tonya tried to be encouraging. Tiana looked up finally from her box with misty eyes.

"Do you still remember your parents?" She asked, almost beginning for an answer. She needed to know that she wasn't alone in her feelings. Tonya smiled and answered honestly.

"Everyday." She replied, as she thought about her Heavenly Father, who she knew was the ultimate Parent and source of unconditional love. Tiana looked back at her box for a moment before she spoke again.

"Trevor thinks...he wants me to forget about them like he did. He...says that we shouldn't remember them because they don't remember us; wherever they are. I used to believe they were in Heaven with God, but Trevor doesn't believe that." She said, her voice cracking, as she fought back the tears. Tonya's heart broke for this young girl, as she moved closer to the broken-hearted teen.

"Tiana you can't do that. You can't forget! They haven't forgotten you." She said, pushing her own tears back. She didn't want to cry. She needed to be strong. Tiana looked up, her eyes full of anger and pain.

"How would you know? You don't know that for sure!" She yelled.

"Yes I do Tiana and I know that you cannot forget about them. It will destroy you, like it is slowly doing to your brother."

"Destroy me? That's what's happening to me now! Every night I cry myself to sleep, remembering how it used to be, when we were a happy family! This pain is destroying me! Forgetting them will release the pain!" Tiana stood as she screamed out, tears rolling down her cheek. Tonya swallowed hard and stood as well.

"No Tiana! It will only get worse if you just forget about all the love your parents had for you. I can guarantee that." She said quietly, trying to maintain composure, but it only seemed as though her words were being ignored by Tiana. Tiana looked at the box she was holding and narrowed her eyes as she tightened her grip on it.

"No, Trevor is right. I have to stop this. I have to forget. It's better that way." She slowly walked to the trash bin and stood over it for a moment, as though pondering over her motives. Tonya followed and gently grasped Tiana's arm.

"Please don't do it. Don't forget. You need to remember." She pleaded, desperately, but Tiana only pulled away from Tonya and dropped the small box full of years of memories into the trash bin. She stared into the bin for a few seconds, as if shocked by what she had just done.

"Tiana, please." Tonya knew she was starting to be a bit pushy, but this situation was going from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. She felt as though she were failing her assignment terribly.

"Leave me alone Tonya." Tiana whispered, her eyes never leaving the box in the trash can.

"Tiana, I -"

"Just leave me alone!" With that, Tiana ran from the room, slamming the door behind her. Tonya's eyes filled up with tears as she watched Tiana run from the room. She sat on her bed and finally allowed herself to cry.

"Oh Father." She cried out. "What do I do now?"


	4. Discouraged

The next morning came with the usual moans and complaints about having to go to another class. The girls were in their dormitory, getting ready for another day of Monica's lessons. They did each others hair, put on makeup and gossiped as they waited for 9:00a.m. to hit. They gave Tonya the usual stares and snickers, but Tonya ignored them. She had bigger things to worry about. Tonya sat at the edge of her bed, waiting for Tiana, who had not yet said a word to her. Tonya noticed a deeper sense of sadness in the young teenager ever since she discarded the only memories she had of her mom and dad the day before. Tiana hadn't spoken since she ran from the dormitory the day before. Tonya had tried to be there for her, but Tiana would not speak. She only ignored Tonya and left whenever Tonya tried to talk. Tonya felt as though she had failed, but she knew her assignment was not yet over. _God, I will not give up on Your child. You haven't, and neither will I. Just be my strength and show Tiana Your love this day._ Tonya watched as Tiana continued getting ready, never once even looking at Tonya. Tonya felt hurt, but she tried not to think of her own feelings. Tiana's feelings was what was the most important. As Tiana picked up her binders, Tonya stood, ready to accompany her to class, like she had the day before, but Tiana walked right past her new friend and left the dormitory, never saying a word. Tonya sighed to herself and she made her way to the dormitory door, but Sandra stood in her way.

"Looks like you have no friends now, loser." She snapped as she crossed her arms. Tonya stared at the bully, trying not to show the anger and pain she was holding inside. She remembered what Andrew told her the day before. All of these orphans were special in God's eyes. So Tonya tried to be as polite and kind as possible.

"I haven't given up on her. She's still my friend." She said quietly, and she moved past Sandra, leaving the dormitory, heading toward the classroom, hearing the now familiar laughter behind her. She ignored it though. _This assignment is only temporary. I'm only here for a short while. Their words won't matter in the long run._ She thought to herself as she continued on to class.

She entered the classroom, with a sad expression spread across her face, especially upon seeing Tiana sitting at her desk, staring sadly out the window, never once looking at Tonya. Monica turned from the chalkboard and saw Tonya standing there, looking at Tiana. Monica smiled sympathetically and approached Tonya.

"How are you doing this morning?" She asked kindly, knowing that Tonya wasn't doing too well. Monica could always tell when the youngest angel had something on her mind. Tonya shook her head, not looking up at her dear friend and mentor. She longed so much to be comforted by Monica, but she couldn't. Not now.

"I'm fine." She lied, as she walked down to her desk. Monica watched sadly as the discouraged angel sat down next to Tiana. _Oh Lord, keep Your angel strong. I'm sure she needs strength right now._ Monica prayed in her mind quickly. She sat at her desk as she waited for the rest of the class to arrive. As she waited, she secretly hoped that Tonya would talk to her soon. The way they always had.

"Alright. Yesterday I asked you to write a one-page essay about the War of 1812. Please hand that in now. You may pile them on my desk." Monica announced as the class rummaged through their binders and knapsacks in search of their assignment. Monica watched as every student brought forward their assignments, piling them on top of one another. Monica peered into the back of the classroom and saw just what she had expected and feared. Trevor sitting at his desk. He hadn't handed in a paper. Monica sighed. She didn't want Trevor to hate her, but she had to discipline him for not handing in the assignment. She had to stick to the role she was given. As a teacher, she had to be strict, even though she didn't like to be.

Monica got up and walked over to the back corner, staring down at Trevor. She crossed her arms and waited. Trevor looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want?" He yelled, not even caring.

"Where is your assignment young man?" Monica asked sternly, but nicely. She ignored his rude tone. Trevor shook his head.

"Does it look like I have it, lady? I obviously didn't do it."

"That's unacceptable Trevor. Assignments must be handed in on time."

"Well I don't have it! So just leave me alone!" Trevor was screaming now. Monica lost her patience with the boy. She didn't want to get angry, but he had pushed her too far..

"That's it Trevor! Go and see Ms. Ovending right now! Your behavior is completely inappropriate!" She snapped as she pointed toward the door. Tonya turned when she heard Monica yelling. She puckered her brow. Monica barely ever yelled. She was always so calm and gentle. She only yelled when she got really frustrated. _Then again, she does have Trevor as an assignment._

Trevor stood from his desk, stared hard at Monica and stormed out of the classroom. Monica sighed as she watched him go. _Forgive me Father._ She thought as she went back to her desk. Tonya could see that it had hurt Monica to yell like she just had. She knew that they both were feeling a little worried about their assignments, despite the fact that it was only their second day on it. Things just didn't seem to be going right at all.

3:00p.m. struck and the students left the classroom in a hurry. Trevor had not returned to class that day. Ms. Ovending had him mopping floors with Andrew for the rest of the day as punishment

Tonya stood up and stared at Tiana, who was still sitting at her desk, staring off into space. Tonya couldn't stand the silence anymore. She had to at least say something.

"Tiana, you haven't spoken to me, or anyone else all day. I hate this silence. Please talk to me. What's wrong?" She asked, not wanting to push, but nothing else was working. Tiana stood also but walked right past Tonya, leaving the room.

"Tiana." Tonya called as she tried to follow, but Tiana turned quickly, causing Tonya to stop in her tracks.

"Leave me alone. I just want to be left alone." She said through clenched teeth. Tonya didn't say a word, but after a short pause, she nodded slowly. Tiana turned and ran from the now empty classroom. Tonya and Monica were the only ones left in the room. Monica could see the pain in Tonya's eyes, and she went to her. Tonya felt Monica's hand brush her brown hair out of her face, and Tonya had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying. Monica pulled the young angel into a warm embrace.

"It's okay to cry, little one." Monica said gently as she held the angel in her arms. Tonya shook her head.

"No, I have to be strong. It's just so hard. She won't even talk to me." She said as she swallowed hard. Monica pulled out of the hug and stared at Tonya.

"God gave humans free will and we can't change that. This is all her choice." She counseled.

"Well, there's not much I can do when she won't let me in." Tonya complained, saddened by the thought of doing a bad job. She just wanted so badly to please God and complete her assignments properly.

"Listen to me Tonya. Everything is in God's timing. You are doing just fine. All you need to do is be there for Tiana when she's ready. In the meantime, you just be the best little friend you can be." Monica smiled and watched as Tonya slowly nodded.

"I know." She said quietly, and Monica took her hands into her own and squeezed them.

"Trust me." She said. Tonya managed to smile.

"I've always trusted you Monica." She said and Monica smiled. "Well, I've had a lot of weird feelings in the last couple of days. Maybe I should write some stuff in my journal." She said quietly. Tonya always carried a journal with her to all of her assignments. It was her way of dealing with feelings she had throughout her assignments, remembering what she learned and remembering who she met along the way.

"Good idea. Make sure you write down what I just told you." Monica joked. Tonya had to smile.

"I will. Thanks Monica." She left the classroom, leaving Monica alone. Monica smiled and closed her eyes to pray.

"Thank You Father for the wee angel You created. Please use her and let her not be discouraged, but trusting and faithful in Your promises."


	5. Lost and Found

Tonya sat on her bed, leaning against her pillow, writing in her leather-bound journal. She hadn't seen Tiana in the dormitory when she went to write, which somewhat disappointed her. She wanted so desperately to help Tiana, and she didn't really feel like she was succeeding in that. Sometimes Tonya was an impatient little angel. Tess tried so many times to teach her about patience, but it was just the way Tonya was.

She wrote on the empty pages of her journal about her recent frustrations and feelings of rejection. It wasn't just about Tiana's sudden change in character either, though that did hurt her, but Tonya was also hurting because of all the teasing and name-calling that had been going on. Of all her past assignments, she was never once laughed at or called names. Tonya didn't know how to deal with those strange new feelings, and it was really difficult to juggle those feelings and helping Tiana at the same time. Most of the time, when Tonya would get frustrated or stressed out, she would talk to Tess or Monica for guidance, but she didn't want to this time. She wanted so badly to be able to deal with things on her own for once.

"Oh God." Tonya whispered. "I feel so helpless. Nothing is happening. Tiana doesn't want to talk to me and Trevor is making things worse. I know angels aren't supposed to get angry but he's making Tiana forget her parents while it's my job to make her remember. But she listens to her brother more than me. I mean, she's only known me for about a day. Trevor's been there her whole life." Tonya sighed and leaned back against her pillows as she stared at the scribbles in her journal.

Suddenly, her stomach dropped and her heart started racing. Tonya jolted upright, wide-eyed!

"Tiana!" She whispered as she stood up. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly had a really bad feeling about her.

"I have to find her. Something's not right." Tonya felt like she was going to panic. She ran from the room into the hallway, glancing around quickly for any sight of Tiana. When she didn't see her in the hallway, she ran down to the boys dormitory, hoping to find Tiana with her brother. Tonya peeked into the dorm quickly and saw nobody. _Where is she?_ She ran around the whole building, calling her name, but there was no answer. Tonya stopped to catch her breath when she returned to the upstairs hallway when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"What's the matter angel baby?" Tess asked. Tonya turned around and sighed deeply, happy to see Tess.

"Oh Tess. I was writing in my journal when I just suddenly got this really bad feeling about Tiana. I don't know why, or where it came from, but I need to find her. I just need to! Have you seen her, Tess?" Tonya was shaking now and Tess held her hands in her own.

"Baby, just relax alright? Have you checked the girls' washroom?" Tess asked and Tonya's eyes widened, shocked that she hadn't thought of that.

"No. I didn't. She has to be there Tess." She cried out, turning from Tess. She ran down the hallway, fearing the worst as Tess trailed close behind. Tonya's eyes stung as her mind flashed back and forth quickly between thoughts of what could have happened. _God please._

She stopped at the girls' bathroom door and paused for only a second, but that second felt like an hour to Tonya as she tried to gather the courage to open the door. Her gut told her that Tiana was behind this door and that something bad had happened.

She pushed the door open quickly and her worst nightmare had come true.

"No!" Tonya screamed out as she dropped to her knees next to Tiana's unconscious body. Lying in her own pool of blood, a pale Tiana had slit both her wrists wide open, using a pink razor blade that now lay next to Tiana, soaked in her own blood. Her face was drained of all color and her lips were an icy blue..

Ms. Ovending heard Tonya's scream and she ran to the bathroom where she encountered the same scene Tess and Tonya had seconds earlier.

"Oh my -" She gasped.

"Call an ambulance right away!" Tess ordered as she knelt down as well, checking for a pulse. Ms. Ovending ran from the room as Tonya's tears spilled.

"Tiana." She managed to whisper as she touched Tiana's smooth brown hair. As Tonya continued to cry, and Tess continued to search for a pulse, a shadow was cast upon the three. Tonya slowly looked up, and saw Andrew standing above them, staring down at Tiana.

"Oh Andrew." Tonya cried. "No. Please no. Please don't take her now. You can't take her!"


	6. Blame

An ambulance arrived at Hope Valley only moments later. A crowd had gathered in the hallway, but Ms. Ovending immediately sent everyone to their dormitories to give the paramedics the room they needed. The paramedics sent Tonya, Tess and Andrew into the hallway. Monica was there too, because she heard Tonya's scream as well and ran as fast as she could to get to the screaming angel.

As the four angels waited in the hallway, Trevor ran to the washroom after he heard from his friends what had happened.

"Trevor, you can't go in there right now." Monica said calmly. "The paramedics need to be with her." To her surprise, Trevor didn't react with anger. He only nodded and swallowed hard as he stared at the bathroom door.

Moments later, the door burst open and the paramedics quickly wheeled out a stretcher with Tiana on it, covered in blood. Trevor's eyes widened as he followed the stretcher.

"Tia! Tia!" He yelled out as he continued to follow along, as his worst fears began to consume him.

"Kid, you'll have to leave now." One of the paramedics announced impatiently as he wheeled the stretcher toward the stairs.

"No! I'm her brother! I'm coming to the hospital too." He said, angry, but he was also desperate. Looking down at his wounded sister almost blinded him from his anger and resentment. He barely even heard Ms. Ovending tell the paramedics to let Trevor go with them.

Tonya watched through glazed eyes as Tiana was rushed to the ambulance, in serious condition, and Trevor following close behind. Tonya clutched herself rightly as the angels were the only ones left in the hallway. Tonya blinked away tears as the other angels were silent.

"Andrew." She whispered silently. Andrew looked down at the frightened angel.

"Yes Tonya?" He asked. He waited as it seemed to take Tonya a moment to gather her emotions.

"Is Tiana...going...to die?" She asked through her tears. She knew that God would often tell Andrew when it was time for somebody to go Home, and she needed to know the truth.

"I don't know. He hasn't told me yet." Andrew answered truthfully, knowing it wasn't what Tonya wanted to hear. It hurt him so much to see Tonya hurt the way she was hurting.

Tonya lowered her head and started to cry again. Monica approached Tonya from behind, ready to embrace the little angel.

"Oh little one. It will be okay." Monica said, as she put her arms around Tonya, but Tonya pulled away just as quickly as Monica had approached her.

"No it won't be okay! Tiana could die, and it's all my fault! Don't you see that? I could have stopped this!" Tonya screamed out, as she stared hard at Monica. Monica was about to speak, but Tess stepped in.

"No baby! That's a lie! You know humans have free will. This was Tiana's choice. You can't blame yourself angel baby!" Tess said sternly, but lovingly. She tried so hard to convince Tonya, but it was no good. Tonya just shook her head, looking down at her crossed arms. Monica tried again to hug the young angel, but Tonya pushed her away once again.

"Tonya." Monica tried, as her heart broke for her little friend.

"I'm a horrible angel! This is my fault! Tiana wouldn't have tried to kill herself if she had just had a better angel!" Tonya yelled out, and she ran past the three angels, out of the hallway.

"Tonya!" Monica called, but it was too late. Tonya was gone.

"Oh Tess. What are we gonna do?" Monica asked, worried.

"I don't know yet, angel girl." Tess replied sadly. "But whatever it is, it better be soon."


	7. Under the Tree

Tonya leaned against a tree in a nearby park, far away from anybody, so she could cry alone. She hugged her knees fiercely and bowed her head, sobbing uncontrollably. Images of blood and Tiana's pale face flashed into Tonya's mind, causing Tonya to cry more and more. _If only I hadn't wanted to write in my stupid journal, I would have gone to find Tiana and I could have talked her out of it._ Tonya blamed herself more and more with every moment that passed by. _She should have had a better angel. She deserved a better angel than me._ Tonya sobbed and sobbed as she thought about Tiana, the young girl that only needed to remember her parents. _How could I have screwed up on such an easy assignment? The one thing Tiana needed was the one thing I couldn't help her do._ Tonya never felt more angry with herself than she had that day under the tree. As she sat with her head bowed down, crying, she heard footsteps rustling through the fresh fallen leaves, coming toward her. Tonya slowly lifted her head, and there was Monica, looking down into Tonya's teary eyes. Tonya turned her head, not wanting to talk to anybody.

"We've been looking everywhere for you Tonya." Monica said as she could see the pain behind Tonya's downcast face.

"Monica, please just leave me alone." Tonya replied quietly, not turning to look at the concerned angel. Monica squatted down next to Tonya and put her hand on her shoulder and to her surprise, Tonya didn't pull away.

"No Tonya. I'm not leaving you alone. I want to be here with you. You need to know that what Tiana decided to do is not your fault." Monica said calmly as she watched Tonya wipe away her tears, turning to face Monica.

"Yes it is Monica. I should never have written in my journal. I should have gone looking for Tiana. I would have been able to stop her." She cried as Monica stroked the young angel's brown hair.

"No, love! Human beings have free will, and even if you found Tiana and talked to her, this still would have happened later. Tonya, you have to stop blaming yourself. You can't be with your assignment every moment of everyday. It's not how God wants us to work." Monica tried to console the angel, but Tonya shook her head.

"I know, but I wasn't there at the moment that counted. I was too late. I failed my assignment." She whispered through muffled sobs.

"No! You didn't fail, little one. It's not too late. Tiana isn't dead. She's in the hospital and the doctors are doing everything they can, but they can't give her what she needs the most. An angel. You still have a purpose in this assignment. It isn't over. Just pray, Tonya, and you know He will listen to you." Monica's own tears began to flow, as she was such an emotional angel, just like the little angel who was still blaming herself. A moment of silence passed as the two angels sat still, only hearing the breeze fly by.

"Monica. What if...she dies?" Tonya asked quietly.

"What if she lives? Don't you see Tonya? She needs you either way. You have to be with Tiana right now before it's too late. Do it for the friendship you've formed with her. I know you've become friends. Be her angel, but be her friend too." Monica replied, as she stood up.

"Are you going to be there for her right now?" She asked as she reached down her hand. Tonya looked at her hand and thought hard. She was still having mixed feelings about whether or not she had caused this, but she loved Tiana. That much she knew for sure. She had been the only one to befriend Tonya when everyone else hated her. A true friend. Tonya felt she had to help her. _I failed her once. I'm not going to fail her again._ Tonya's tears still spilled, but she looked up at Monica, who smiled warmly as she continued to hold out her hand. Tonya slowly reached out her own hand and grabbed Monica's. Monica grasped Tonya's small hand and pulled her up, pulling her into a warm embrace. Tonya continued to cry as Monica held her closely.

"It's okay. It will be okay." Monica whispered as Tonya's tears died down. As they remained embraced, the park disappeared around them and in the blink of an eye, they stood in the operating room with Tiana, unseen by anyone. Tonya pulled out of the hug and looked around slowly. She knew that Monica had brought them here.

"God is with you, little one. You'll be fine." Monica said as she gave Tonya a warm smile. Tonya wiped way the last of her tears as she looked down at Tiana, who laid on the operating table, as doctors were giving her a blood transfusion. Tonya breathed in slowly and looked up to see that Monica had disappeared. She sighed.

"I hope you're right Monica." Tonya whispered as she leaned over to Tiana. With a glowing hand, Tonya touched Tiana's head softly.

"Tiana. I know you can hear me. Don't give up Tiana. Keep on fighting. It's not your time to go. It can't be. You have so much to live for. So come on Tiana. Don't give up. God is with you." Tonya said to the unconscious girl as she held her hand. There she stood, grasping tightly to Tiana's hand, unseen by the doctors. Tonya never left her side in that operating room. She stood there with her friend, and she prayed over her, trusting in her Father to help the little girl who lay helpless on the table.


	8. Trevor's Encounter

Trevor sat out in the waiting room, holding in his tears. _I can't cry. I have to be strong._ He thought to himself as he tried to sit still, but fears swarming around in his head made irritable.

"Hello Trevor." A familiar voice said gently. Trevor looked up and saw Monica looking down with concerned eyes. Trevor looked at his folded hands in his lap.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with just a hint of anger in his voice. Monica sat beside him on the bench.

"I came because you shouldn't be going through all of this alone." She replied as Trevor rolled his eyes.

"I've always been alone. I've always dealt with things by myself and I've been fine." He said, raising his voice.

"No Trevor. You haven't been fine." Monica argued.

"How would you know? You know nothing about me!" But just as Trevor was about to say more, a bright light caught his attention and he turned quickly to see that the light was coming from Monica! Trevor's eyes widened as he stared at her.

"What...what's happening? He asked nervously, as he swallowed hard.

"Oh Trevor, don't be afraid. I'm an angel, sent by God." Monica explained with a warm, gentle smile.

"An angel?" Trevor asked, still shocked and in disbelief.

"Yes Trevor. I'm here to tell you that God loves you so much." Monica said passionately, but Trevor narrowed his eyes.

"God? I hate God! He took my parents away from Tiana and I. It ruined our lives! Look at what Tiana did because of it!" He yelled out as he jumped up. Monica stood as well and placed her glowing hands on Trevor's shoulders. He didn't move.

"No Trevor. Tiana didn't attempt suicide because your mom and dad are gone. She held on to their memory so tightly, but then, she tried to forget them. She tried to forget about all the love they gave to you little ones." Monica explained. Trevor felt his stomach drop.

"I...I told her to forget, like I did." He said, unemotionally.

"Yes, but don't be blaming yourself because this had to happen before you could fully understand. You see Trevor. You should never forget your mom and dad. Even though they aren't here with you, they are still alive. They're with God and God wants you to stop being angry. Anger can be so dangerous, Trevor. Because of your anger, you pushed Tiana away but it isn't too late. She's going to be fine Trevor, but you have to help her because if she doesn't hold tight to the memories of her mom and dad, she'll only try again. Oh Trevor. Don't forget your parents. They haven't forgotten you, and neither has God." Monica shed a single tear as Trevor began to cry.

"Tiana's...gonna be okay?" He asked through his tears. Monica smiled and nodded. Trevor bit his lip and thought hard. He hadn't cried in over a year, and so much came rushing back to him, including memories of his mom and dad.

"God...loves me? Even after I said I hated Him?" He asked.

"Oh God loves you unconditionally." Monica said with a big grin. She never got tired of saying that. Trevor wiped away a tear and looked Monica right in the eyes.

"Can you tell God...I'm sorry? I don't hate Him, and...I'll try to stop being so angry." Trevor cried out, tears spilling as he spoke. Monica smiled.

"Why don't you tell Him, Trevor? And while you're at it, say hello to your mom and dad. They want to hear your voice." She said. Trevor nodded and for the first time in a very long time, Trevor smiled and Monica thought he had the most handsome smile she had ever seen.

Trevor turned and hung his head, ready to talk to God, but before he did, he turned quickly to say thank you to Monica, but she had disappeared. Trevor looked up and down the hallway, and then plopped down on the bench, bowing his head to pray to his Heavenly Father, for the first time.


	9. Revelations

Tiana lay in her recovery room, now fully awake, and she stared down at her bandaged wrists, as her tears fell. She felt so scared and alone. When she heard a knock on her door, she wiped her tears away quickly.

"Come in." She called, as she hid her wrists under her blanket, ashamed at what she had done. The door opened and Tonya walked in, holding a yellow rose.

"Hey Tiana." She said quietly as she stood at the door. Tiana didn't look up. Tonya whispered a silent prayer to God of thanks that Tiana had survived. She only hoped she'd be able to convince the child to remember her parents before this would happen again.

Tonya sat in the chair next to Tiana and held up the beautiful yellow rose. Tiana turned and looked at the rose curiously.

"What's that?" She asked, quietly, in almost a whisper. Tonya smiled.

"This is a yellow rose. You know, each color for roses symbolizes something really special. Red symbolizes love, white symbolizes purity, but yellow symbolizes the best thing of all. Friendship. I want you to have this rose, Tiana. You were the only one who wanted to be my friend, even though everybody else hated me. That's true friendship, and it's just so great to have you as my friend Tiana. You're really special to me." She explained through her tears, as she handed the rose to Tiana, who took it and brought it to her nose to smell it. She barely smiled.

"Thanks Tonya. You've been a good friend too." She said with no hint of emotion. It was like Tiana didn't even notice Tonya was there with her. She had so many other things on her mind. Tonya and Tiana both remained silent for a few moments before anything was said.

"Tiana?" Tonya broke the silence. Tiana didn't answer but Tonya spoke anyway.

"Why did you do it? Was it because you tried to forget?" She asked carefully as she watched Tiana. Tiana closed her eyes, feeling the same pain she felt only hours ago when she slit her wrists.

"I don't want to talk about this." She said simply.

"Please Tiana, don't hold this all inside. I just want to help." Tonya replied desperately. Tiana sighed, getting angry.

"Look, I don't know why I did it okay? I guess..." She trailed off as her eyes began to fill up with tears. Tonya took her hand into her own.

"You can tell me." She said gently. Tiana looked down.

"I just...miss them so much. I-I just wanted to see them again. Be with them in Heaven. I just know that's where they are. They have to be." She cried, as more tears spilled. Tonya smiled.

"Oh Tiana, you will them again, but God says it's not your time yet." She said, as a Heavenly light surrounded her. Tiana's mouth dropped open and she stared at the angel.

"T-Tonya?" She stuttered.

"Don't be scared Tiana. I'm an angel, sent by God. And I'm here to tell you that it's not your time to go to Heaven. You still have a long life ahead of you." Tonya said in a gentle voice. Tiana broke down crying.

"But I miss my mom and dad so much. I don't want to keep remembering them. I want to be with them." She cried.

"Tiana, your mom and dad want to be with you too, but it's not time yet. God needs you to be patient. But most importantly, you cannot try to forget about the love your parents gave you, because that love didn't die. It still lives on." Tonya replied.

"But remembering them is so hard. It makes me so sad to remember them."

"Yes, it is hard, but wasn't it so much harder to try to forget them?" Tonya asked. Tiana was silent as she thought about what she had done.

"Oh Tia, God loves you so much and He wants you to know that memories are a great gift, so don't let them go. And your parents. They asked me to tell you that they love you, and that they're so proud of you." Tonya smiled as a look of joy spread across Tiana's face. Something that Tonya had never seen on Tiana since she had met her.

"They told you that they're proud...of me?" She asked quietly.

"Oh yes. They are proud of who you've become. A wonderful girl who befriends everyone. Even the outcasts." Tonya replied with a small giggle. Tiana managed to smile.

"Don't forget them Tiana. They haven't forgotten you, or Trevor. You must always keep their memory close to your heart." Tonya said as she held up a familiar small, red shoe box. Tiana looked at it and gasped.

"My shoe box! All my memories! But, I threw it out. They took all the trash to the dump this morning. How did you get this?" She asked as she clutched it closely. Tonya smiled.

"With God, all things are possible." She said with a smile. Tiana returned the smile, and it was the smile of a happy girl. Tiana reached out and gave Tonya a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered softly. Once she left the embrace, she opened up her shoe box and looked inside. Everything was just as she had left it. She smiled and looked up to see that Tonya had vanished. Tiana looked around quickly and then back at the yellow rose. She smiled and the door opened, allowing Trevor inside the hospital room. Tiana's smile disappeared as she feared Trevor's reaction to her having the shoe box. Trevor sat in the chair next to Tiana's bed and didn't say a word.

"Are-are you gonna give it to me for having this box?" She asked nervously as she held it tightly. Trevor smiled and shook his head, which surprised Tiana tremendously.

"I'm, uh, I'm glad you're alright, sis." Trevor said quietly after a moment of silence. Tiana smiled. This was the first time she heard her brother talk like that since their parents died.

"Me too." She said simply. They smiled at each other for a moment, and Trevor began to cry. Watching her brother cry as he was, brought tears to Tiana's eyes.

"Um. So, w-what do you have in that box anyway?" Trevor asked as he wiped away his tears. Tiana stared at her brother, amazed at his sudden change of heart, but she didn't object. It felt like the happiest moment in her life when she held up the box for Trevor to see. For the next three hours, the siblings went through the shoe box, remembering anything and everything they could of their parents. And for the first time, Trevor and Tiana remembered together. As a family. A feeling they had placed aside for nearly a year.


	10. Together Again

A week had passed since Tiana's suicide attempt and she had seen a counselor twice since. It was a warm Thursday morning as Trevor and Tiana walked hand in hand to the graveyard to visit their parents' grave for the first time since the funeral.

They placed the freshly picked roses on the dirt and knelt down next to the stones with their parents' names. They both cried for a moment, grieving the loss together.

"Do you think they can see us, Trevor?" Tiana asked as she looked toward the sky, a tear falling from her face. Trevor smiled at his little sister.

"Yeah, I bet they can." He replied as he gave Tiana a friendly punch. Tiana giggled and hugged her brother.

Nearby, Andrew, Tess, Monica and Tonya watched the Reed siblings with smiles across their faces.

"Well, I guess our work here is done." Tess said with a big gr9in. The other three angels agreed as they turned to walk away. Tonya stopped for a moment as she watched Tiana lay a single yellow rose on her parents grave. Tonya smiled and caught up to the other angels.

"Well angel baby, what did you learn from all of this?" Tess asked as she looked down at Tonya, with a raised eyebrow.

"I know. I know. It wasn't my fault. It was her choice, but God definitely turned it into something good." Tonya replied. The angels smiled as Monica put her arm around the youngest angel.

"You did a great job Tonya." She complimented. Tonya smiled.

"You all did a great job. Now, let's go Home." Tess said as they continued down the path. Just as the angels disappeared, a white dove from Heaven landed on Trevor and Tiana's parents' grave.

"Trevor, look." Tiana whispered as the two siblings stared at the dove.

"There really is a God." Trevor said with a smile, and the two siblings left the graveyard together, sure that everything was finally going to be alright.

**The End**


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